The Konoha Institute for Mislead Youth
by Ca11umism
Summary: This is the story of a girl who discovers that beneath the day to day world of aching boredom, there is an entire new world, one in which a group of people, born with the blood of God himself pulsing through their veins, fight against the creatures that only satan is sick enough to think up. This is the story of Sakura Haruno and her team mates, the Paladins of the modern world.


**A/N:** _I got this idea from my recent infatuation with Mike Mignola's brilliant comic book Hellboy and it's spin-off BPRD._  
_ It won't just be one story, but a collection of stories about the adventures these characters go on. I hope you _  
_ like it, and I hope you review. Thanks._

**The KONOHA Institute for Mislead Youth.**

**_Prologue_**:

Breathing slowly, Sakura molded her fingers into the various hand signs of the luminosity spell. With the last sign, she reached out as a flicker of pale white light appeared at the end of her index finger, growing larger and larger until a small moon left her grasp, floating up into the air and bathing the alleyway in it's pure glow.

She cocked the hammer in her Colt, the click echoing throughout the night, then took the diamond vial that hung around her neck in her hand. It still glowed it's vibrant green, giving the girl some peace. _'I hope they're here soon...'_ she thought, her green eyes tracing each and every shadow within the alley, looking for the slightest movement.

"Sa-Sakura?" she turned to look down at her partner Ino. Her face was pale and her lips cracked, but the girl was still breathing. "What w-was that?"

"I don't know Ino," she replied, reaching down and rubbing the wounded girl's leg with her free hand. "But it's not coming back okay?...If it tries to I'll put a few shards of brimstone in it's head." she smiled, hoping her little joke would put Ino at ease, then turned back to face the alley.

The small moon she'd conjured still hovered up and down the alley. It stood out against it's backdrop in a way that found Sakura's eyes being drawn to it, so much so that she had to blink constantly to keep her focus. 'Come on Sakura...' she told herself. _'Stay focused, you have to stay focused...'_

The sound of garbage cans being knocked over made the girl jump. She stood up and aimed her Colt at the point where she thought the sound had come from. "Ino, get your gun, I'm gonna check it out. "Ino muttered a quick 'yes' and Sakura began pacing towards the garbage cans, her weapon raised and her free hand forming the signs for the 'Yield' spell.

She inched each step, pausing for a slight moment every time, making sure she didn't miss a beat. The small moon lowered itself to the collective of garbage cans, and Sakura cast the spell, a pale green kite erupting from her hand and knocking back the metal cylinders. There was nothing there.

_**BLAMM...AAAGH**_

The sound of a gunshot rang out, then Ino screamed. Sakura turned and saw the large shadow dive behind the corner where Ino hid.

'_No..._' Sakura gasped as another of Ino's screams rang true.

**CHAPTER ONE:**

"Here we are miss," the taxi driver said, pulling the handbrake and turning off the engine. "The Konoha institute for mislead youth." He climbed out and open the door for her. Sakura took off the gold framed aviator sunglasses she wore and looked up at the place, scoffing. The building looked to be a thousand years old, it's three stories forged of blue-stone and cracked cement. Several windows dotted the front, each one featuring a cross-pane made of oak. Vines and other foliage had seemed to have laid claim to the building many years back, snaking up the walls and making berth in the cracks between the bricks.

"First time I've ever been here," the driver said, going around to the trunk and retrieving Sakura's bags. He dumped them in front of the girl and held his hand out for payment. "That'll be seventy bucks."

Sakura reached into her purse for a small stack of twenty dollar bills, giving the driver five. "Keep the change." The driver nodded in thanks,  
climbed into his taxi, and pulled away, honking his horn to say goodbye. Sakura on the other hand, found herself fumbling with her large suitcase, it being to big for her to carry it without leaning to one side.

She managed to get it up to the front door; a massive oak slab of wood with a bunch of latin words carved into it. A large leaf was also carved into the wood, incredibly intricate and, in Sakura's opinion, incredibly pointless.

The large iron knocker was heavy, but she managed to slam it against the wood three times. After a moment, the door opened and the institute's hallway was revealed to her. It was dark, but a series of small gas lanterns gave her enough light to find her way down the hall. She took up her suitcase again and entered.

"Hello."

The girl couldn't help but jump at the voice. Turning around, she found a tall man, hidden in the shadows, looking down at her. "Did I scare you?" Sakura nodded slightly. "You're gonna be quite a job." He stepped out of the darkness into the lantern light, and Sakura stepped back. His lower face was covered by a dark bandanna, and another covered his right eye. "My name's Kakashi. Welcome to the institute."

"Thanks?" she said cautiously after a moment, still unnerved by the weird man.

"Was that a question or a genuine thank you?"

She thought for a moment. "Both?"

"Hmmm." He reached down and took up the girl's suitcase for her, which Sakura decided was quite a feat. He was much taller than her, but the suitcase must have weighed fifty pounds, and he carried it like it was a cardboard box. "Come on, the Hokage wants to meet you."

The man took off down the hall with large, even strides. Sakura tried to keep up with him, even resorting to a slight jog, but he was still to fast.

A left, then a right, then another right and the two found themselves outside a large office, the kind you'd find the dean of a ivy league college working out of. Kakashi beckoned for her to enter, and then walked away.

"Hello there miss Haruno."

Sakura walked into the office and gasped. Three of the walls were covered top to bottom in jars of all shapes and sizes, filled with the most unique, gruesome, disturbing, beautiful things she'd ever laid eyes on. Gigantic bugs, bright red flowers, and everything in between.

"I said, hello there miss Haruno." She snapped her head to the desk at back of the room, where a stunning woman, no older than thirty, sat reading from a massive leather bound book, a pair of black, thick rimmed glasses magnifying her large brown eyes to the point that they looked like a cartoon character's.

"Hello, umm, miss?"

The woman smiled slightly, removed her glasses, and lay them down on her book. "My name is Tsunade, but while you are hear you shall only refer to me as Lady Hokage, understood?"

Sakura nodded.

"Good, now come sit down, I have some things to tell you."

The girl edged her way to the seat opposite the hokage, sitting down with some caution. "Now," the blonde woman started. "I'm sure you have some questions, so, now's the time to ask them. Go."

Sakura opened her mouth to speak, then closed it. She didn't have any questions. All she knew was that her parents had said that she was to go to school here from now own, despite the fact that they were rich enough to get her private tutoring.

"You're wondering why you're here."

The girl nodded. "Yeah, I guess."

Tsunade smiled, then pushed the large book she was reading to Sakura. "Read the passage I've highlighted."

Sakura wondered why, but did as she was told, turning the book so she could read it properly. _"And the Lord himself sent a meteor, one with a tail formed of a thousand rainbows, that shot across the sky, heralding the birth of his own warriors, with the blood of the Lord and the goal to eradicate Lucifer's pets from the face of Eden."_ She looked up at Tsunade, who wrung her hands together.

"Well?"

"Well what?" Sakura asked.

Tsunade shook her head. "I'd heard you were smarter than most miss Haruno." she took the book back and closed it, stood up and placed it between two others just like it on the wall behind her desk. "Sakura, you are what's known as a soldier of Eden,"she sat back down and opened a drawer in her desk, retrieving a small bottle and two cups. "Or a Paladin, as most call it." She poured out two cups and handed the teen one. "Drink."

Sakura looked at the cup. "I'm seventeen."

"Not here you're not. Drink." Tsunade downed her cup, and waited for Sakura to do the same. The girl shrugged and put the cup to her lips, taking the liquid in her mouth. She swallowed and it burnt her throat.

"Uggh, that's horrible."

Tsunade just nodded, and poured her another. "Yeah, well, sometimes liquor makes the news easier to bear. Anyway, you're a Paladin, and you're hear because Kakashi and I are going to train you to fight for God."

Sakura thought the alcohol was already getting to her. "What do you mean?"

"Simple. You were born the day that a meteor with a rainbow tail flew over Earth. That means that you were chosen by God to utilize his power to fight whatever aims to hurt his children."

"Okay, then," Sakura chuckled. This had to be a joke. "What exactly aims to hurt God's children?"

"Well, anything evil really. I once fought a troll, for example." Tsunade downed her third glass as Sakura burst out laughing. "What's so funny?"

"Are you kidding me?...None of that stuff exists!"

Tsunade gave her a bitter look. "Stand up." Sakura did as she was asked, thinking she'd humour this crazy woman. Tsunade stood as well, then began doing a bunch of weird movements with her hand. "Is magik real Sakura?"

"Hell no."

Tsunade smiled, then reached out. A series of gold and ruby sparks exploded from her fingertips, flying around the room like fireworks. Sakura squealed and dropped to the ground as a shower of sparks fell upon her. "_STOP!..."_ she cried, suddenly terrified. _"STOP IT PLEASE!..._" the rain of multi-coloured spraks disapparated with a click of Tsunade's fingers.

"Now is it real?"

Sakura stood up and backed away. "What the hell are you?"

"I'm human Sakura," Tsunade said, reaching out for Sakura to come sit out down again. "But I, like you, have God's blood within my veins. Now, come sit down. I'm not going to hurt you, you're too precious." Sakura really didn't want to, but for some reason, she couldn't help it.

"Sakura, magik was a creation of God that only his blood can manipulate. Now, I can understand why it seems terrifying, but with time, you'll realise that magik is a gift, and you can do good with it if you'll let me teach you."

"This is real isn't it?" Sakura said suddenly. "I'm not asleep or anything?"

Tsunade smiled. "No. It's real. Would you like me too teach you our ways?"

Sakura looked at the woman, letting everything she'd just learned swim in her mind. Was she really related to God? If she was, then her parents...

"Are my mom and dad related to God?"

"No, only you. But your parents know, they've always known. That's why they accepted our payments for your services for all those years."

_'Huh?...'_

"Ohh, you don't think your parents got rich by themselves did you?...what is it your father does? Writes restaurant reviews for a website?" the woman said, seeing the look on Sakura's face. Sakura had always wondered why her father was paid so well for giving Arbee's a four star review. "Exactly.," Tsunade sat down once more and again, offered Sakura a seat. "Now, for the final time, would you like to learn our ways?"

Sakura looked at Tsunade, the woman who'd just told she was of the same blood as God, that she was destined to fight demons, tried to get her drunk, almost set her on fire, revealed that she had been paying Sakura's parents substantial amounts of money since she was born, and now offered to teach her to use magik and fight for God.

And Sakura Haruno just smiled. "Yeah, yeah I would."


End file.
